The End: Gears of War 3 launches worldwide tonight

I write this as I’m listening to Mazzy Star’s Into Dust, the song used from Gears of War 3’s launch trailer and TV advert. The song gives the feeling of a conclusion, something gamers worldwide will experience from midnight tonight. All the launch details and more inside.

About 479 GAME and GameStation stores have promised to open up in the UK for midnight, with 20,000 shops worldwide opening its doors for tonight.

The big UK party will come from GAME’s flagship store in Oxford Street, London, while the main US launch will be in New York at the Best Buy theatre. Epic design boss Cliff Bleszinski is expected to show up, with Geoff Keighley also presenting a live episode of GameTrailers TV at the event.

Here’s the main list of GAME stores opening up. They all cover the main cities in the UK and thensome, from London & Birmingham and Cardiff & Swansea to Edinburgh & Glasgow to Belfast & Derry.

Trade Dead Island, get Gears for £1.99

Begun, the UK price wars have. HMV is offering the game for £1.99 if you trade in Dead Island. It also works both ways, though: the retailer is also offering fellow upcoming release F1 2011 for £3.99 if either Gears, Dead Island or Resistance 3 is traded in before September 29.

GAME is also getting involved with the action by let buyers get Gears 3 for a fiver if it trades either Space Marine, Dead Island or Driver: San Francisco.

It’s also offering the Gears 320Gb hardware bundle for £99.99 if a 250Gb 360 Elite is traded in.

In supermarket land, Morrisons are the first to blink putting it on offer for £25, but only if you buy a 2100 MS points voucher for £18.99. The grand total will end up being £43.99. The offer ends Sunday.

GameStop cheekily break release date

“Congratulations on your purchase of Gears of War 3 on www.gamestop.co.uk. Please note that this game should not be played until Midnight 19th September,” reads a note from GameStop UK as part of orders for the game.

A picture materalised over the weekend with the letter, alongside a copy of the game’s Limited Edition from the UK arm of the US game store giant.

Quite a noble way of getting around the release date. Don’t think it’s going to fly with Microsoft, though.